


Vacation Week

by Mithridatium



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Detective Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/M, Minor Character Death, Not Beta Read, POV Second Person, Past Domestic Violence, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-20 01:22:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19983712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mithridatium/pseuds/Mithridatium
Summary: You are a reporter for Detroit Today, one of Detroit's most prominent digital newspapers. After the android revolution, Detroit Today has become one of the most prominent news outlets for information concerning human-android relations. It's up to you and your fellow reporters to help shape public opinion! First, though, you have to deal with the consequences of an unfortunate accident...Also, you kind of fall in love with an android.





	1. Caught in the Act

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to update often, but updates will probably become less frequent when classes start again ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

You knew you should've stayed home tonight.

THUMP. You knew, but you ignored your instincts, and where did that get you?

Your throat was finally freed from the pressure being applied to it, and you greedily gasped for air. You pushed your attacker's body off of yours, slowly standing up. "Shit, Riley!" You dropped the bloodied plank of wood in your hands, swiveling your head around quickly and wincing at the pain caused by the sudden movement. To your relief, you were still alone in the alley. Reluctantly, you turned your head to the figure laying at your feet. The pit in your stomach only grew at the sight in front of you.

“Come on, get the hell up! I didn’t hit you that hard, asshole!” you whisper-shouted at the heap in front of you, not wanting to draw any outside attention.

“Riley?” Your ex-partner, Riley, was a sloppy drunk. You knew this before you began dating, but you foolishly believed that your love could “change” them. Your relationship was amazing at first, but the honeymoon period ended after a month, and Riley’s true nature reared its ugly head again.

Picking Riley up from bars in the middle of the night was an inconvenience, sure, but you tried your best to tolerate it, even if your job performance suffered from the lack of sleep caused by the midnight drives. The pointless arguments were annoying, but as Riley frequently told you, “You just need to be put in your place sometimes.” The physical abuse was the final straw that made you realize how toxic your relationship was. You cut contact with Riley after one particularly rough night that ended with you being beaten unconscious. After forcing them out of your apartment, you blocked them on all platforms.

That was only a week ago, and you still carried a few bruises from the incident. Yesterday was the first day of the vacation week you took in order to get yourself together, as you were still pretty shook because of the incident. Tonight, you went to a bar where Riley usually didn’t hang out. Of course, with your luck, you bumped into them anyways. They managed to fool you with their pity party in order to get you to leave the bar for a “private conversation,” which led to your current situation.

Kneeling over your ex’s body in a dirty alley, you listened closely for any signs that Riley was still breathing. To your horror, you heard nothing. Shit! Tears flooded your eyes, blurring your vision. With a shaky hand, you pulled your phone out of your pocket, wincing at the pain from the bruise that was already starting to form on your arm. You were too jittery to successfully unlock your phone with your fingerprint. “Fffuck,” you breathed, beginning to type your password.

“What the hell?!” You whipped your head around fast enough to make yourself dizzy. Two men stood in front of the entrance to the alleyway: a shaggy man, who appeared to be the one who just shouted, and an android who appeared to have a very polished appearance, despite the darkness of the alley attempting to mask the duo.

Before you were able to speak, a gun was pointed at you. “Detroit police! You’re coming with us!”

Well, there goes your vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot more Connor next chapter.
> 
> I tried to write the ex as gender-neutral. Let me know if I made any mistakes with their pronouns!


	2. Plead the Fifth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up in a jail cell and are almost immediately sent in for questioning. Thankfully, you find comfort in a friendly face and a gentle voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter is a huge bitch compared to the first one (over twice the length!)

You had been awake for less than half an hour, and the day was already going terribly. Your joints ached from your sleeping arrangements, and unsightly bruises had developed from your confrontation last night. Shortly after you woke up, a brown-haired man with a scar on his nose had roughly grabbed you by one shoulder and pulled you into a room with a table and two chairs, one of which was already occupied. You let out a hiss of pain as the man behind you shoved your shoulders downwards, forcing you into the chair on your side of the table. “Fucker,” you grumbled as your escort left the room.

Your eyes wandered, quickly taking in your surroundings, before settling on the figure on the other side of the table. You recognized him as the android who saw you last night. In the current lighting, you were able to get a better look at him. His perfectly sleek hair and the crisp, ironed ensemble he wore were a bit surprising, considering the appearance of the other DPD members you’d seen. 

He cleared his throat—okay, so he definitely noticed you sizing him up—and you made eye contact with him. His dark brown eyes seemed to search yours. You noticed your leg had been bouncing nervously, and you quickly made an effort to still your body.

“Hello. You don’t need to be nervous,” he spoke, giving you a small smile. “I’m here to help you. I just need you to answer some questions for me. May I have your name?”

You were taken aback by his soft tone, but you appreciated it greatly. In all honesty, you were on the verge of a panic attack, and he could probably tell. You probably would’ve broken into hysterics if he had taken a less kind approach. You gave him your name, trying your best to hold eye contact with him.

“Did you know the victim, Riley Constantine? If you did, what was your relationship with them?”

You took a deep, shaky breath before answering. “Yes, I did. Riley was my partner. We- I broke things off a week ago.”

He raised an eyebrow at you. “So, you were the one to end the relationship; why were you with them last night, then?”

“I didn’t WANT to see them,” you quickly defended, feeling your heart rate spiking. “I went to a bar they usually didn’t attend. I was trying to avoid them.”

“Okay,” the android interjected, making a motion with his hands for you to take it down a notch. “Okay, you were avoiding Riley. So how did you end up alone with them?”

You would’ve put your hands on the sides of your head if the cuffs on your wrists allowed you a bigger range of motion. “I… it was stupid of me, but Riley wanted me to hear them out. They were trying to apologize for what they did to me—"

“What they did to you?” The android detective seemed especially intrigued by this statement, leaning further across the table towards you.

You closed your eyes and breathed in. “They… they did this.” You pulled down the collar of your shirt, revealing not only the bruises from last night, but a set around your collarbone from the week prior. “They beat me unconscious. I could’ve died. That’s why we broke up.” You spoke quietly, tightly grasping your hands together in an attempt to calm yourself. You felt the familiar burn of fresh tears forming in your eyes and looked down slightly.

The android moved back slightly, giving you more space. He paused for a moment, considering his words before speaking. “I’m. . . I’m very sorry. Nobody deserves to be put through that kind of treatment, especially from a loved one. Do you need a moment?”

You shook your head, reaching your cuffed hands up to wipe the tears from your face. “Please, I just want to finish this.”

“Very well. There’s no rush to answer. What happened in the alleyway that night?”

You didn’t want to remember, but for your own sake, you recited the events of that night. “Riley told me that they loved me and they never should’ve hit me, and they kept talking about how good we were for each other. They got mad when I told them I didn’t think I could ever see them the same way again, and then they started swinging at me.”

Tears streaked down your face as you spoke. You paused, feeling the android’s thumb stroking your clasped hands reassuringly. You continued, “I tried to go back to the bar for help, but they shoved me onto the ground and started choking me.” A lump formed in your throat, forcing you to pause for a moment before you spoke again. “I- I didn’t know what to do… I just grabbed whatever I could an’ I just swung. I didn’t mean to hit ‘um that hard!” Your words began to slur as you choked them out; the hot tears flowing from your eyes showed no signs of stopping.

“Hey.” The word was quiet, but it held a certain firmness that made you look up, meeting the android’s eyes. Blurred as your vision was from the tears, the sympathy on his face was clear as day. “You were only defending yourself. Your use of self-defense was perfectly justified. It’s going to be okay.”

“No,” you almost wailed, looking down again. “It- it hurts so much; I killed someone I loved; they didn’t deserve it—”

The hand on top of yours was suddenly joined by another hand in a much firmer grasp. “You can’t say for sure that it was your fault.” This statement made you look back up. 

“I had to question you to determine your intent when you struck Mx. Constantine. Their death seems to be more closely related to alcohol poisoning than the one blow you struck. Now that you’ve told me why you attacked them, I can guarantee that you were not responsible for their death, and I will ensure that you’re allowed to leave as soon as possible, okay?”

There was a fire in the android’s eyes as he spoke, but you didn’t feel threatened by it. In fact, you felt… safe? 

Finally uncuffed, it took a couple minutes for you to be able to compose yourself. Wiping the last of your tears away, you felt like you needed to say something to him. You hardly knew what to say or what to think, but you voiced the one thought you knew for sure. “I don’t know if I could’ve gone on, thinking that I was the reason Riley died. I don’t know why you were so nice to me when I knew I looked like a criminal, but thank you. I appreciate it more than I know how to express.” 

You could’ve sworn you saw the android’s eyes lighting up at your words; a gentle smile made its way onto his face as he spoke your name. “I’m glad that I could offer you some form of comfort. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.”

You hesitated for a moment before speaking. “There is one thing you could do for me, actually.” Hey, shoot your shot, right? “You could give me your name.” You pressed a button on your watch, bringing up your contact information, and held your arm out to him.

He almost seemed taken aback. Then, his smile grew wider as he reached his hand out, touching your watch and interfacing with it. “My name is Connor.”

You couldn’t help the cheesy grin that began to spread over your face. “It was nice meeting you, Connor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoot me for the lack of realism, I'm soft and couldn't write Connor yelling at the main character,,,
> 
> I wrote the first two chapters at the same time because I knew I'd mostly just be establishing some plot details, so the next chapters should have more action. That being said, I'd be up for hearing your thoughts on the story so far!
> 
> I'd also appreciate any thoughts about my writing. This is my first story, so it's not going to be perfect, but I felt like this chapter was a bit too long, ya know?


	3. Notification

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get your first text from your new friend!

You weren’t even halfway through your vacation week, and it was already one of the most eventful weeks of your life. The notifications on your phone were starting to piss you off.

[I read abt what happened to riley, r u ok]  
[Sorry for your loss, let me know if you need anything]

You were trying to forget your feelings for your ex, reminding yourself of what they did to you, but the crocodile tears being sent to you only reminded you of what your relationship used to be. You needed to get out of the house.

Another notification came from your phone. Great. However, the text you received was from a number that wasn’t in your contacts.

[Hello, it’s Connor! I apologize for not messaging you last night—my partner and I were working on a particularly difficult case. How are you holding up?]

You smirked, huffing out a small laugh. His style of texting was so similar to the way he spoke. Thinking for a moment, you composed a response to him.

[hey Connor! things kinda suck honestly, I really need to get out of the house. need a distraction lol]

[I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe I could help you? My partner, Hank, is tired of me not taking any breaks, so he told me to take the day off. If you aren’t busy, perhaps we could accompany each other?]

His reply came in about 30 seconds. The fact that he wanted to spend time with you on his day off was pretty touching to you. Not wasting any time, you replied to his message.

[of course! I don’t have any plans for today so I’m ready whenever you are :)]

Dropping your phone onto the bed, you practically leaped over to your closet, mentally preparing an outfit for the date—wait, “date”? Okay, you were definitely jumping the gun. Not only had you only met yesterday, you had only ended your relationship a week ago. Not only that, but your ex had DIED two days ago! Maybe you should let the ink dry on their obituary before you start chasing someone new.

Besides, Connor was a highly intelligent android, designed to be forever young and appealing, while you were just a human. He only saw you as an acquaintance at best. Right?

Right.

You assembled a nice outfit—not too dressy, but not too casual—and checked your phone. As you expected, Connor had already sent a reply. 

[If that’s the case, can you meet me at the park at noon? I have a few ideas as to where we can go, but we can discuss them once you arrive.]

[sounds good to me. see you then!]


	4. D8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor gets to know you.

You showed up to the park a few minutes early, not expecting to find Connor already waiting for you. He was sitting on a park bench, his back to you. You weren’t able to see his face, but that familiar jacket assured you that you had the right man. Smirking a bit, you fired off a text message to him.

[turn around]

No more than a second later, Connor turned his head and locked eyes with you, a smile settling on his face as he called your name. “It’s good to see you again!” He got up, stopping a few steps in front of you. “I know you said you weren’t feeling too well in our messages, but do your injuries at least feel better?”

“The worst ones are still painful, but I think your advice really helped,” you replied, yanking up one of your sleeves to show him. The bruises on your arm were almost nonexistent: Connor made sure to rattle off several treatments for bruises before you left the station yesterday, and you decided to entertain a few of his suggestions. 

His expression softened—how was that even possible when it was already so soft to begin with? —and he gently ran his thumb over your exposed arm. Your heart skipped a beat at that motion. “The inflammation has definitely gone down,” he observed, releasing your arm. 

You pulled your sleeve back down, feeling a gentle flush over your face. You chose to believe that your face was turning pink due to the temperature, not Connor’s touch. “You said you had a few ideas of where we could go,” you changed the subject. “Care to share any of them?”

“We could head down to the mall,” he suggested. “My coworkers have been teasing me about my standard outfit, so it might be time for me to pick out something new.”

“I don’t see what the problem with it is. It suits you,” you stated before you could stop yourself. Quickly, you added, “but of course, there’s nothing wrong with having options!”

Following your agreement, Connor called a taxi for the two of you. Once the taxi arrived, he held your door for you, a motion that you appreciated a bit too much. You awkwardly sat in silence until he decided to break the ice.

“My records state that you’re a reporter for Detroit Today. Do you enjoy your job?” Oh, right. You forgot he had the ability to look up information like that.

“I actually like it a lot,” you answered, beginning to reminisce about your job. “I took one of my vacation weeks so that I could have a break, but I honestly can’t wait to go back to work. I drafted a few opinion pieces last night, but I don’t know if my topics will still be fresh next week.” 

Connor’s LED flickered a few times before he spoke again. “You seem to be a prominent figure at your workplace. I’ve noticed a lot of pro-android rights articles written by you.”

“Well, yeah,” you mumbled, shrugging slightly. “I was taught to strive for equality when I was young, so I didn’t have much trouble choosing a stance on the issue. Once I learned that androids had the ability to feel the same emotions that humans do, I made sure to voice my opinion. I wasn’t exactly popular at work after I started submitting those articles, though.”

He nodded, gazing at you contemplatively. You matched his gaze, looking into his eyes and noticing the way they shined. How the hell did Cyberlife make artificial eyes look so full of life? You were pulled out of your thoughts too soon as the taxi cruised to a stop.

\--

Helping Connor pick out new clothing was actually more fun than you expected it would be. He looked good in nearly any shirt with a collar on it, and the leather jacket he tried on made him look like a magazine model. He seemed to be a bit clueless without your help, though: he seemed drawn to the weirdest clothing, and you found yourself dragging him away from some of the worst pieces. Once you saw him glance at the male rompers, you physically placed yourself between him and the clothing rack that held them and urged him away.

He tilted his head slightly, one eyebrow quirked and a confused smile on his face. “What’s so bad about that outfit? You’ve approved of most other collared pieces.”

“Connor, I can see why you’d make that association but no.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connor didn't become a deviant that long ago, so he still speaks pretty stiffly. He'll grow out of it in later chapters.


	5. Cold Beer, Hot Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You think of several questions at the bar. Only one is important enough for you to ask.

By the time the two of you finished shopping, it was around 6 in the evening. Connor had suggested a local dive bar as your destination. It wasn’t a place you had ever visited before, but they were apparently known for being one of the first android-friendly bars in Detroit. 

You took in the interior of the bar as you sat at one of the booths with Connor, a tantalizingly crispy onion ring in one hand. Unlike most other bars in Detroit, it had an inviting appearance with its hardwood walls and warm lighting. Connor sat on the other side of the booth, a frosted mug of thirium in one hand. This raised several questions for you. _How does the thirium enter his “bloodstream” when he drinks it? Do androids need to replenish thirium in the same way that humans need to intake calories? Does frosting the mug actually do anything for the flavor? Can he even taste it?_

You were brought back to the present when you heard your name. Looking across the table, you noticed Connor looking into your eyes, seeming slightly concerned. Blinking, you smiled at him. “Sorry! Just got lost in my thoughts for a second. So, how did you find out about this place?”

“I was looking for an alternative to my partner’s usual bar,” he started. You took a sip of your rum and coke. “Hank regularly haunts Jimmy’s Bar, but I’m trying to encourage him to go somewhere… cleaner.” 

You screwed up your face a bit. “I know that place. Almost got stabbed there because someone recognized me as a reporter. Needless to say, they weren’t a big fan of my articles.” Concern flashed over Connor’s face, and you quickly added, “I was fine, and the guy got arrested. Even wrote a harsher article the next day just to spite the dude.”

You reached for another onion ring. Connor glanced towards the basket of rings in front of you and opened his mouth, but apparently thought twice about what he was going to say, shutting his mouth again.

\--

You managed to finish your drink between conversation topics. Feeling a bit looser from the alcohol, you asked him a question that seemingly came out of nowhere. “I appreciate you spending time with me and everything, but what made you _want_ to? The side of me you saw yesterday was, well… I wasn’t really at my best.”

Connor reached out and touched your hand. You looked up at him. He leaned over the table a bit, his expression gentle and eyebrows slightly furrowed. The gentle tone he used to say your name made you melt a little inside. “When you spoke to me yesterday, I could tell you were being truthful. Ever since I deviated, I’ve felt a strong urge to help people who needed it, and you just looked so… hurt yesterday. So, if there’s anything I can do to help you in the future, just let me know, okay?”

You didn’t know what to say about that. Right now, you didn’t have many people to turn to when you were feeling down, so Connor’s words made you feel… touched? “Connor, I-“

Connor’s eyebrows furrowed, a light crease forming in his forehead. “You seem uncomfortable. I hope I did not make you feel uncomfortable.”

You furiously shook your head. “Oh, no! It’s not, you’re not, I mean-“ you paused to regain your thoughts; “-I really appreciate you for wanting to help me, because I was kinda worried that I was wasting your time by coming with you today. Really, I wouldn’t have blamed you if you didn’t text me and just “lost” my phone number,” you rambled, making air quotes at the word “lost.”

Connor read your eyes for a moment. “You shouldn’t think so little of yourself. Granted, it’s not uncommon for someone to lose their sense of self-worth after suffering from abuse like you did, but I want you to know that you’re not a burden.” He adjusted himself in his seat, crossing his legs the way that every dad seems to do and clasping his hands over his knee. “You know, I’ve installed a few minor psychology modules. It seemed like they would be useful, given my profession. If you wanted to, we could talk about your-“

“ **CHECK, PLEASE.** ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this house, we AVOID OUR ISSUES instead of ACCEPTING HELP


End file.
